Cooper on girls cross-country: Ariana North wins at Bergen County cross-country championships

The Northern Highlands senior held off a strong challenge from Ridgewood’s Catherine Pagano to win the Girls A division championship at Saturday’s Bergen County cross-country group championships at Darlington County Park.

North, the defending BMOC champion, finished with the best time of the day for girls with an 18:24 on the soft course.

She managed to do so after battling a stomach bug all week that cut into her training and bothered her after the first mile.

"I really haven’t been able to run correctly for a week," said North. "I have had to stop during my runs because I would get nauseous. It’s really a pain in the butt. The past couple of days I have been getting over it. My doctor gave me some probiotics for my stomach and I did my workout on Wednesday, it was only a half-hour, but it was much better."

Going into Saturday, the showdown between Pagano and North was considered one of the best races of the day. It was the first time the two Upper Saddle River natives had gone head to head this season. The two were close when they rounded the lake in the soft sand, but Pagano – who complained later of sore legs – would lose ground and finish in 18:55.

"I know in the sand, it was really hard for me to run because it was pounding on my legs and [Ariana] just kept going," said Pagano. "I was slowing down and couldn’t help it. It was painful to keep taking steps."

"She would come on and then I would surge," said North. "She would come on and I would surge, then it seemed she dropped back a lot. I’m glad I got to run against her. She’s a great competitor and it’s good practice for next week."

Pagano admitted she wasn’t happy with her time, but was going to stay positive. She said she would be ready for Saturday’s Lou Molino Meet of Champions race, run famously in the snow last year.

"It’s definitely important to me, because it’s an indicator of where I am and I’m going to take it very seriously," Pagano said. "I’m shooting for a PR [personal record] definitely."

North said retaining her championship was important.

"It’s my last year," said North, who is considering multiple colleges. "It’s BMOC. I won it last year and it’s an honor to be in the county meet of champs and I’m looking forward to running a fast time and a big win."

North also took note of the time turned in by Tenafly’s Josette Norris, who finished in 18:27 to win Division B. The two spent a minute chatting after North’s race.

"She has really turned out to be a great competitor," said North of Norris. "I hope she goes far next year … when I’m not here."

Norris has seen her times drop dramatically since making the tough decision to drop basketball and concentrate on running full time. Of all the top competitors Saturday, she was probably the happiest with her time, even though she had a cramp.

"I think I got it after the first mile. I think my first mile was in 5:35, which was probably a little fast," said Norris, who was second at BMOC last year. "Last year in the snow when I got second place, it was a great feeling and I hope to be at the top this year. It’s going to be difficult."

Another challenger next week should be Westwood junior Corinne Myers, who cruised to the Division C title in 19:43. She was hoping to get close to the school record of 19:07, but a weak field and above-average temperatures slowed her.

"Last weekend I ran a 19:13, so I really thought this week I would go sub-19," said Myers. "That was my ultimate goal and I was so ready for it, but I guess not ready enough."